Disclosed herein is a method for reducing a metal oxide in a metal containing precursor. The method comprises providing a reaction mixture comprising the metal oxide containing precursorand an aluminium reductant; heating the reaction mixture in the presence of solid or gaseous aluminium chloride to temperature at which reactionsthatresultin the metal oxide being reduced are initiated; controlling reaction conditions whereby the reaction mixture is prevented from reaching a temperature at which thermal runaway can occur; and isolating reaction products that include reduced metal oxide.

A titania-carbon-sulfur composite including a titania-carbon composite prepared by mixing cylindrical carbon materials and titania (TiO.sub.2-x), in which some oxygen is reduced (i.e., x is less than 2), to have a structure in which cylindrical carbon materials are entangled and interconnected in three dimensions; and sulfur introduced into at least a part of the external surface and inside of the titania-carbon (TiO.sub.2—C) composite, and a method for preparing the same.

A titania-carbon-sulfur composite including a titania-carbon composite prepared by mixing cylindrical carbon materials and titania (TiO.sub.2-x), in which some oxygen is reduced (i.e., x is less than 2), to have a structure in which cylindrical carbon materials are entangled and interconnected in three dimensions; and sulfur introduced into at least a part of the external surface and inside of the titania-carbon (TiO.sub.2—C) composite, and a method for preparing the same.

Provided are titanium oxide particles having a higher photocatalytic activity as compared to the conventional ones; a dispersion liquid thereof; a photocatalyst thin film formed using such dispersion liquid; a member having such photocatalyst thin film on its surface; and a method for producing the titanium oxide particle dispersion liquid. The titanium oxide particles are those with a titanium component and a silicon component being adhered to the surfaces thereof, wherein a molar ratio of the titanium component to titanium oxide (TiO.sub.2/Ti) is 10 to 10,000, and a molar ratio of the silicon component to titanium oxide (TiO.sub.2/Si) is 1 to 10,000; and the titanium oxide particle dispersion liquid is one with such titanium oxide particles being dispersed in an aqueous dispersion medium.

A particulate TiO.sub.2 includes a TiO.sub.2 content of at least 99 wt.-%, an anatase content of at least 98 wt.-%, a primary crystallite size X.sub.50 of at least 200 nm, a numerical fraction of TiO.sub.2 with a primary crystallite size of at most 100 nm of at most 10%, a specific surface area of at most 8 m.sup.2/g as determined by BET measurements, 1200 ppm to 2400 ppm of alkali with respect to the TiO.sub.2 content, an Al content of 1 ppm to 1000 ppm, expressed as Al and with respect to the TiO.sub.2 content, a weight ratio of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 to Nb.sub.2O.sub.5 of from 0.17 to 0.74, and 0.1 wt.-% to 0.3 wt.-% of P, expressed as phosphorus and with respect to the TiO.sub.2 content.

A particulate TiO.sub.2 includes a TiO.sub.2 content of at least 99 wt.-%, an anatase content of at least 98 wt.-%, a primary crystallite size X.sub.50 of at least 200 nm, a numerical fraction of TiO.sub.2 with a primary crystallite size of at most 100 nm of at most 10%, a specific surface area of at most 8 m.sup.2/g as determined by BET measurements, 1200 ppm to 2400 ppm of alkali with respect to the TiO.sub.2 content, an Al content of 1 ppm to 1000 ppm, expressed as Al and with respect to the TiO.sub.2 content, a weight ratio of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 to Nb.sub.2O.sub.5 of from 0.17 to 0.74, and 0.1 wt.-% to 0.3 wt.-% of P, expressed as phosphorus and with respect to the TiO.sub.2 content.

A pressure sensor 1 according to the first aspect of the invention includes: a substrate 50; and a functional element 40 which is laid on the substrate 50 and is composed of functional titanium oxide including crystal grains of at least one of β-phase trititanium pentoxide (β-Ti.sub.3O.sub.5) and λ-phase trititanium pentoxide (λ-Ti.sub.3O.sub.5) and having the property that at least a portion of crystal grains of at least one of β-phase trititanium pentoxide (β-Ti.sub.3O.sub.5) and λ-phase trititanium pentoxide (λ-Ti.sub.3O.sub.5) change into crystal grains of titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) when the functional titanium oxide is heated to 350° C. or higher. The substrate 50 includes a substrate thin-film section 51 having a thin film form in which the thickness in the stacking direction of the substrate 50 and the functional element 40 is smaller than that in the other directions.

A pressure sensor 1 according to the first aspect of the invention includes: a substrate 50; and a functional element 40 which is laid on the substrate 50 and is composed of functional titanium oxide including crystal grains of at least one of β-phase trititanium pentoxide (β-Ti.sub.3O.sub.5) and λ-phase trititanium pentoxide (λ-Ti.sub.3O.sub.5) and having the property that at least a portion of crystal grains of at least one of β-phase trititanium pentoxide (β-Ti.sub.3O.sub.5) and λ-phase trititanium pentoxide (λ-Ti.sub.3O.sub.5) change into crystal grains of titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) when the functional titanium oxide is heated to 350° C. or higher. The substrate 50 includes a substrate thin-film section 51 having a thin film form in which the thickness in the stacking direction of the substrate 50 and the functional element 40 is smaller than that in the other directions.

The invention relates to a method of making hybrid organic-inorganic core-shell nano-particles, comprising the steps of a) providing colloidal organic particles comprising a synthetic polyampholyte as a template; b) adding at least one inorganic oxide precursor; and c) forming a shell layer from the precursor on the template to result in core-shell nano-particles. With this method it is possible to make colloidal organic template particles having an average particle size in the range of 10 to 300 nm; which size can be controlled by the comonomer composition of the polyampholyte, and/or by selecting dispersion conditions. The invention also relates to organic-inorganic or hollow-inorganic core-shell nano-particles obtained with this method, to compositions comprising such nano-particles, to different uses of said nano-particles and compositions, and to products comprising or made from said nano-particles and compositions, including anti-reflective coatings and composite materials.

The invention relates to a method of making hybrid organic-inorganic core-shell nano-particles, comprising the steps of a) providing colloidal organic particles comprising a synthetic polyampholyte as a template; b) adding at least one inorganic oxide precursor; and c) forming a shell layer from the precursor on the template to result in core-shell nano-particles. With this method it is possible to make colloidal organic template particles having an average particle size in the range of 10 to 300 nm; which size can be controlled by the comonomer composition of the polyampholyte, and/or by selecting dispersion conditions. The invention also relates to organic-inorganic or hollow-inorganic core-shell nano-particles obtained with this method, to compositions comprising such nano-particles, to different uses of said nano-particles and compositions, and to products comprising or made from said nano-particles and compositions, including anti-reflective coatings and composite materials.